Fair-lead device for winding drums



March14,1944. H. L. SCHMIDT ETAL 2,344,417

FAIRLEAD DEVICE FOR WINDING DRUMS Filed 001;. 8, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS 4772mm AT TORNEY March 14, 1944. H. SCHMIDT ET AL FAI'RLEAD DEVICE FOR WINDING DRUMS Filed Oct. 8, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FAIR-LEAD DEVICE FOR WINDING DRUMS Harlow L. Schmidt, Milwaukee, Win, and Robert T. Hendrickson, Chicago, 111.; said Schmidt assignor to The Hell (30., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 8, 1942-, Serial No. 461,278

3 Claims.

- coming this difliculty are well known but in conjunction with a motor truck carried Which the provision of a proper level winding device presents a number of problems. A truck carried Winch is constantly moving or changing its position relative to the anchored end of the cable to be wound and hence it is necessary that the cable guide to the winch drum be flexible and movable so as to properly guide the cable regardless of the relative position between the winch and the anchored and extended portions of the cable.

Also, in many installations it is necessar to mount the winch and fairlead device on amotor truck frame between the front end of the radiator and the rear of the bumper bar. This presents problems and requires that the winch and fairlead assembly be compact and have a minimum of breadth.

With the above in mind it is, therefore, a more specific object of the invention to provide a winch fairlead devicewhich will properly guide the cable to the drum regardless of the angle of extent of the cable, which will insure level windin of the cable on the drum with a minimum of friction and restraint, and which, with the winch, presents a very compact assembly of a breadth and size suitable for convenient mounting on a truck between the radiator and bumper bar thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fairleaddevice for winding drums in which the extent of the cable which is directly led to the drum for Winding thereon is relatively short,

A further object of the invention is to provide a fairlead device for winding drums having a swingably mounted cable guiding sheave which is positioned close to the drum, permitting the cable to follow very freely, enhancing the level winding operations, and preventing the cable from piling up at the ends of the winding drum.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fairlead device for windingdrums wherein a swinging, cable-guiding arm is pivotally mounted on enclosed ball bearings, said arrangement protecting against the entrance of dirt, ice and foreign matter which might cause the swinging arm to stick and thus impair its eflicient operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fairlead device for Winding drums well suited for mounting on a desired portion of a motor vehicle, which is strong and durable and efiicient in operation, which is of simple construction, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

Withthe above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved fairlead device for winding drums, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

' In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the bumper-equipped 'front end of a motor truck showing a winch and the improved fairlead device mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the winch and fairlead device, portions of the mounting frame being broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, and on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the sheave-carrying swinging arm of the fairlead device; and

Fig. 5 is a rear view thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the draw ings it will be obserVed that a motor truck is indicated generally by the numeral 8. The truck includes a conventional front radiator 9 and a transverse front bumper bar Hl carried spacedly forwardly of the lower front portion of the radiator by longitudinal chassis or frame members i l.

A winch, designed for mounting on the chassis or frame members ll of the truck between the radiator 9 and rear of the bumper bar H], is indicated generally by the numeral I2. Fast on the driven and controlled portion of a Winch shaft I3 is a winding drum [4. Portions of an elongated cable I5 are adapted to be evenly wound on the drum. The drum is driven from the transmission of the motor truck (notshown) through a suitable power take-ofi l6, and brake and clutch mechanism ll control the winding drum.

The end portions of the winch shaft l3 are journalled in suitable bearing members carried by end supporting bars 18. Respective ends of said bars are rigidly secured to transverse angle iron members [9 which extend between the motor truck front chassis members H and are suitably secured thereto by lugs, brackets, or

other means. Thus, the winch unit is mounted in the space between the radiator 9 and bumper bar I0, and is rigidly supported on the chassis members The winch supporting transverse angle iron members l9 also form convenient means for mounting a fairlead or level winding unit 20 in juxtaposition to the winch drum and compactly with respect thereto so as to form a composite assembly of a relatively small breadth, and within certain minimum requirements. The fairlead device is mounted in and on a vertical box-like structure which comprises spaced upright angle members 2| closed and joined by top and bottom plates 22 and 23 respectively. This box-like structure is of relatively narrow breadth and it is rigidly mounted on the front transverse angle iron member l9 and braced by angularly directed struts 24 which extend and are secured to the rear transverse angle iron member l9, as best shown in Fig. 2,.

Within the box-like structure formed by the upright angle members 2| there are top and bottom shelf members 25 and 26. A pair of spaced vertical shafts 2'! have their opposite end portions secured in the shelves 25 and 26 respectively. Those portions of the shafts which are disposed between the shelves have revolubly mounted thereon cylindrical rollers 28, which are disposed vertically and which are arranged so as to provide a slight space between their peripheral portions, through which space an extent of the cable may pass for guiding contact with the rollers.

On the top face of the bar 22 as well as on the top face of the bar 23, are enclosed roller bearlugs 25 and 30. An angular, bifurcated, vertically disposed swingable arm 3| (see Figs. 4 and 5) is provided at its opposite extremities with horizontally disposed band and disc portions 32 and 33 respectively. The band portion 32 of the arm 3i surrounds and contacts the upper bearing member 29, while the disc portion 33 covers the lower bearing member 30. Thus, the arm 3| is swingably mounted relative to the top and bottom portions of the box-like enclosure for the fairlead unit, and said arm projects rearwardly from the rear face of the enclosure and adjacent the winding drum M of the winch. The arm 3| is swingable about a vertical axis.

Intermediate face portions of the bifurcations of the arm 3| have outwardly projecting bearing bosses 34 in which are secured the end portions of a transverse stud shaft 35. On an intermediate portion of this stud shaft, between the bifurcations of the arm 3|, a sheave 36 is revolubly mounted. In practice the cable l5 extends from forwardly of the motor truck 8, rearwardly between the vertical rollers 28, over the swingable arm carried sheave 36 and then down to the winch drum I l relative to which the cable is adapted to be wound and unwound.

The winch and fairlead device are particularly designed for use on motor trucks of the type which may be employed by the Army. It is i highly desirable that all of the winch and fairlead mechanism be disposed rearwardly of the front bumper In of the truck because the bumper is frequently employed for pushing operations and anything. projecting forwardly of the bumper would interfere with such practices. As installed on a truck, the winch and cable are employed for all customary purposes. For instance, in order to extricate a truck from a stuck or mired position, the cable l5 may be unreeled from the drum, extended considerably forwardly of the truck, and anchored to some fixed object. Thereafter if the winch is operated to wind up the cable this will efiectively pull the truck out of its mired position.

The improved device constitutes an effective fairlead or level winding device for the cable relative to the winch drum M. The vertical rollers 28, between which the cable first passes, permit the cable to be guided over the sheave 36 on the swingable arm 3|. As the winch drum revolves for winding purposes, the cable will wind thereon very evenly, as shown in Fig. 2, and the arm 3| freely swings relative to the longitudinal extent of the drum to permit the cable to traverse the drum in neat, successive convolutions without piling up on any portion of the drum. It will be observed that there is a relatively short distance between the guide sheave 36 on the swingable arm 3| and the drum. This allows the cable to follow very freely, during winding operations, resulting in excellent level winding, and the cable is prevented from piling up at the ends of the drum. The inner faces of the end heads of the drum are suitably beveled or inclined to facilitate the last mentioned result.

All journalled and movable portions of the device are adequately protected and the bearings on which the band ends of the arm 3| turn are fully enclosed. Hence foreign matter such as dirt, ice, etc., cannot enter the connections and prevent easy and proper movement of the parts.

The compactness of the unit is especially desirable when it is considered that it must be located juxtaposed the Winch and in a relatively small space between the truck bumper and radiator.

While the fairlead device for winding drums has been illustrated and described herein in connection with a motor truck, it should be understood that this is merely by way of an example as the fairlead device is equally applicable to a tractor or other self-propelled vehicle.

Normally the fairlead device will be mounted in the manner shown in Fig. 1 with the box-like structure of the level winding device extending upwardly, vertically. In some instances, how- .ever, it may be desirable to reverse the mounting so that the box-like structure projects downwardly. In the latter case the cable will feed from below the winch drum. It is optional as to whether the cable is directed to one side of the drum, as in Fig. 2, or to the other side thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved fairlead device for winding drums is of simple and novel construction and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In combination, a self-propelled vehicle having a radiator, spaced longitudinal frame members extending forwardly of the radiator and a transverse bumper bar carried by the forward ends of said frame members spacedly from the front of said radiator, an open cradle spanning said frame members in the space between the radiator and bumper bar, a power operated winch including a horizontal drum carried by said cradle and extending into the opening thereof, anda cable fairlead device mounted vertically on said cradle forwardly of the winch drum and extending over the same, the greatest dimension of said device being in a vertical direction and all portions thereof being rearwardly of 1 said bumper. bar.

2. A winding drum fairiead device, comprising an upright open frame having top and bottom closure plates, a pair of vertical rollers journalled in said frame in adjacency, an arm extending the height of said frame exteriorly of the rear face thereof, said arm having a horizontally disposed integral band and a disc at its opposite ends, a sheave revolvably carried by said arm, and enclosed roller bearings mounted on said top and bottom closure plates embraced by the arm band and covered by the arm disc respectively.

3. A winding drum fairlead device, comprising an upright open frame having top and bottom closure plates, an arm extending the height of HARLOW L. SCHMIDT. ROBERT T. HENDRICKSON. 

